Tram Chim National Park: The Mekong Delta has lots of forests. Those are homes of fishes, reptiles, bees, and birds. To preserve some typical forests, the state has planned conservation areas, including the largest and most famous Tram Chim National Park. The park is located in Tam Nong District, Dong Thap Province, Vietnam, and has an area of 7,600 ha. The park was established to preserve the submerged in-land ecosystem in 1999.
Topography and Hydrology of Tram Chim National Park
Tram Chim National Park is 19 km to the east of the Mekong River, at an elevation of about 1m. The topography of the park is flat and slopes slightly to the East. Before, several natural streams and rivers flowed from west to east, distributing water from the Mekong River to the plain of reeds. Now, these streams and rivers have been changed by a system of canals flowing through the national park.
Prior to canalization, the plain of reeds was seasonally full of standing water for continuous periods of up to seven months per year. Since canalization, flood waters drain faster and the park is flooded for less than six months per year. Water levels in the canals start to rise in June, at the beginning of the rainy season. Between September and December, the park is inundated to a depth of 2 to 4 m, with a peak in October.
Since the mid-1980s, 53 km of dykes fitted with sluices have been built around the national park, with the aim of impounding flood water for longer as well as reducing the lowering of the water table during the dry season. The park is divided by canals into five management zones; the water level of each can be managed separately.
Biodiversity Values of Tram Chim National Park
The vegetation of Tram Chim National Park consists of a mixture of seasonally inundated grassland, regenerating Melaleuca forest, and open swamp. Melaleuca grows all over the national park, both in plantations and in scattered patches in regions of grassland or open swamp.
At the park, there are five widespread grassland communities, of which the main communities are Eleocharis dulcis and wild rice Oryza rufipogon is of the highest conservation significance.
The park is one of the few places in the Plain of Reeds where the community can survive to any extent, and, therefore, one of the most main sites for the conservation of wild rice in Vietnam. The other grassland communities are dominated by Panicum repens, Eleocharis ochrostachysIschaemum rugosum, and Vossia cuspidate.
The park is in the lowest area of the Mekong River waterlogged plain submerged and in the center of Dong Thap Muoi. With a system of grass-plots, swamps, and crossing canals, the 7,612-ha National Park has become the best habitat for more than 100 vertebrates, 40 species of fish, and 147 rare and precious kinds of birds, especially the red-head cranes. Hence, it is also the best place for scientists to research the life of migratory birds.
To date, at least 88 bird kinds have been recorded at the Park. The site is well known for its population of Sarus Cranes that inhabits the spot in the dry season. In the 1990s, hundreds of Cranes live in the dry season here. However, because of some inappropriate development in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the maximum count of cranes fell dramatically to 82 birds in the 2005 dry season.
Besides Sarus Crane, the globally endangered Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis has also been told at Tram Chim National Park. The status of this secretive grassland specialist at the park is not fully known, but it is likely that birds vacate the area during periods of substantial inundation in the late wet season.
The Locals believe that the species breeds at the site, and claim to have found both eggs and young of the species; however, this has yet to be confirmed. A number of other globally threatened and near-threatened bird species regularly happen at the park, covering Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster, Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus, Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala and Asian Golden Weaver Ploceus hypoxanthus.
Other wetland bird species of note recorded at Tram Chim consist of Greater Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis, Cotton Pygmy Goose Nettapus coromandelianus, and Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus. Due to its importance for globally threatened bird species, Tram Chim National Park qualifies as an Important Bird Area.
What to Do in Tram Chim National Park
This land offers tourists so many wonderful activities to join. If you do not have lots of free time, you can consider the list below:
1. Take part in amazing games
There are a number of recreational activities for travelers to enjoy in Tram Chim National Park including fishing, harvesting rice, and swimming.
Fishing: You should be ready with a fishing rod and catch the fish when the boat stops. Then, the caught fish will be transferred to the processing area where they will be served right after that.
Swimming: If you love swimming, there is also a place for you to do this recreational activity. Besides having an opportunity to swim in clear water, you will be able to take many wowing photos in the river.
2. Take a boat to do sightseeing
Tram Chim National Park has lots of interesting sceneries that create a good chance for travelers to do some sightseeing while sitting on beautiful tourist boats. In a quiet atmosphere, travelers will be able to admire the elegance of colorful lotus petals and smell their freshening aroma of them. This may make a memorable experience in every traveler’s life.
3. Try some typical cuisine
Some delicious specialty dishes that are mostly recommended by travelers here are crab hotpot, crispy fried fish, fish sauce hot pot, and snakehead fish salad. If you visit here, do not forget to enjoy some of them. You will be amazed by the wonderful cuisine of Vietnam, which is very famous not only in Southeast Asia but also throughout the world.
Conservation Efforts for the Park
In 1985 when red-head cranes appeared in Tram Chim National Park, scientists organized a workshop in China to find out solutions to preserve them and develop Tram Chim National Park in Tam Nong Natural Site into a typical cultural and ecological traveling area in Southeast Asia.
Since then, many international organizations have taken part in researching red-head cranes in Tram Chim, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and others.
In February 1994, Tram Chim really became the national nature conservation zone under the Prime Minister’s decision, where the government invested more than VND 4bil, the Brehm Fund of Germany granted 15,000 USD and the Danish Embassy and the UK donated 60,000 USD to the protection of the “Red-head cranes’ house” and the improvement of Tram Chim’s buffer zone.
In 1995, ICF wanted to do surveys on the breeding sites of red-head cranes and in March 1998, scientists started putting electronic tracking rings worth 10,000 USD on cranes to observe their migration and reproduction. The activity was donated by the Japanese Government with the participation of Japanese, American, and Vietnamese scientists. The signals received from red-head cranes offer important information for scientists to research into the red-head cranes’ reproduction and migration.
Best Time to Visit Tram Chim National Park
Lots of people visiting Tram Chim National Park have said that the perfect time to get to Tram Chim National Park is in February and March, according to the lunar year. This is because, during this time, birds will fly back from their migration places. Therefore, travelers may have an opportunity to observe a wide range of different birds in the sky. Furthermore, in case you would like to taste the delicious flavor of Dong Thap’s fruits, you will be able to visit Tram Chim National Park from August to November each year.
How to Get to Tram Chim National Park
So as to get to Tram Chim National Park, you will need to depart your journey from Cao Lanh. You will be able to book a tour from any tourist agency. Or else, go by public bus from the Cao Lanh Bus Station. The bus departs at 5 am every morning and the price is about 15,000 VND. When the bus arrives at Thanh Binh Bus Station, take another bus to come to the park. (The price of the bus will be able to be higher).
Tips on Visiting Tram Chim
You should bring Mosquito repellent with you when you come to visit Tram Chim National Park.
In case you would like to have some photos with birds, nature-look clothes should be prepared
If you would like to eat more, you can bring some cakes and fruits from home but please, throw the garbage in the right place so as to save the environment.
Tram Chim National Park, with the natural history of collective ecology of geomorphology, hydrograph and underwater creatures, is a wonderful rendezvous place for travelers from all over the world.
